Today we’d like to introduce you to Wilson Santos
Wilson , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My name is Wilson Santos and my story is not linear. In my life, I’ve worn many hats and followed many paths. Eventually, all roads always lead me to entrepreneurism and the current place I’m at today in life. I’ve been involved in the hospitality industry since the early 1990’s, starting out first as an event promoter, then bartender and bar manager. I’ve also produced music and DJ’d on a professional international level, doing tours. I possess both a Bachelor and Master’s degree in English Literature, and taught for 7 years at Full Sail University. I’m a poet, spoken word artist, screenwriter, photographer, graphic designer, filmmaker and more. Deep in my soul, I am a creative spirit that needs to always be creating. It’s that creative passion, coupled with my business savvy that brought me to becoming a restauranteur. Starting a restaurant begins with an idea; a concept that is born in the mind, not to different than the first lines of a poem. It is a creative process that starts with a thought, and if one is persistent enough to develop that thought, it becomes a reality. It doesn’t come with little effort. Developing a business takes a lot of creativity and maneuvering of all the moving parts. I use several analogies when I think about my path as a business owner and concept developer. I think of my restaurant as a child, because it is something that I create and must nurture and guide, until it grows and becomes self-sufficient to run itself. Like a child, a business is very demanding and depends on the entrepreneur for its very existence. It is always hungry and needs to be fed in order to survive. How well one nourishes the business, dictates how well it will thrive. Each day brings new challenges, but as long as one stays motivated and persistent, I believe there’s nothing one cannot achieve.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Running a business is never smooth. It is riddled with obstacles, surprises and road blocks at every turn. An entrepreneur usually works much longer hours than a salaried employee, often times for less pay. Nothing is ever easy and everything requires creative problem solving. One of the hardest challenges of running a business is trying to predict and prevent future blunders. It’s like playing chess. The challenges and hurdles are the opponent. In chess, one must try to anticipate three or four moves ahead; which is really just looking into the future, and plan each move with strategy and patience. When a new surprise or obstacle presents itself, it seems like a personal attack against you, but it’s not; its merely the chess game reacting to your last move. A good entrepreneur counteracts with creative movements, always adapting to new realities and stepping outside themselves, to see the bigger game at play, and not their personal wants and needs. It’s never a straight forward path.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Fry Shoppe?
The Fry Shoppe is a French fry concept restaurant. We tend to think of ourselves as serving a niche market of people who love fries, but since everyone loves fries, we really cater to a wide range of demographic, which is no longer niche, but broad. We don’t consider ourselves fast food, but fun food. The fun part for our customers is being able to customize their orders the way they want them. We have a French fry cone category where you get to choose from over 10 sauces and a host of toppings, so each time you visit, it can be a new experience. We also allow customers to build their own loaded fry boxes, by choosing their own proteins, sauces and toppings. This is what sets us apart from other fry concepts. At The Fry Shoppe, our fries are made at the moment they are ordered. They do not sit dying under heat lamps. This keeps them fresh and crispy. The concept came to me over 20 years ago when I first visited Amsterdam and tried their famous Dutch cone fries. I fell in love with the sauces and the comfort of eating fries out of a cone while I walked and explored the city. Every time I visited Amsterdam after that, I always looked forward to having their fries and thought how great it would be to have a place like this in the US. Since then, there have been other all fries restaurants, some good, some not. However, there is still room to grow a concept like this as it is still not a saturated market. I see room for growth and expansion.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Persistence is probably the most important characteristic any entrepreneur can have. It is easy to work a 9-5 job, come home and not think about it and collect your salary every two weeks. But the entrepreneur must work long hours, sometimes for little pay and is thinking about their business 24 hours a day. As I mentioned before, new obstacles and road blocks will present themselves almost daily. They will seem impossible to overcome some times. But as long as one stays focused, has patience and most importantly, stays persistent pushing forward through the obstacles, there is nothing one cannot achieve. I believe that.
Pricing:
- $5.50
- $7.50
- $11.50
- $13.50
- $14.50
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thefryshoppe.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefryshoppe/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefryshoppe
Image Credits
All rights: The Fry Shoppe
